Myoko City Ski Resort Opens Ahead of Schedule, Blessed with Snow! (Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture)

2024.12.16

SkiSki resortMyoko CitySuginohara Ski Resort

Most ski resorts in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, opened by Saturday, March 14, and skiers and snowboarders are enjoying their first runs.

On Friday the 13th, Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort opened the earliest in the city.

The snowfall is currently 120 cm, and about 500 people visited the resort over the three days through Sunday, March 15. On Monday the 16th, a weekday, people from outside the prefecture were seen enjoying their first runs.

Visitors
I came here from Hachioji, Tokyo with my hobbyist friends. Today was my first run of the season and it was great.”

According to Suginohara Ski Resort, while in recent years opening dates have often been postponed due to light snowfall, this season’s opening has been blessed with good snowfall and has been moved up one week from the scheduled date. This is the first time in 10 years that the opening has been moved up this much.

This year we have introduced an automatic ticket gate system that opens the gate when you hold up your smartphone when riding the lifts. By installing a dedicated app in advance, your smartphone will replace your lift ticket.

Photo courtesy of Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort

In addition, a new service will begin in January next year, where early in the morning, before the lifts are running, visitors can enjoy the scenery while riding up in an 8-seater snowmobile through the woods in the ski area. After getting off the snowmobile, skiers will be able to ski on the freshly maintained slopes.

Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort Manager Imaizumi
We opened early so you can enjoy skiing for a long period of time, and we hope you will come as many times as possible, even for just one day.”

The season is scheduled to run through March 23. The number of visitors this season is expected to be 110,000, the same as in previous years.